A little more than two years ago, when I was standing in the company President’s office explaining why I was quitting my job, I told him: “I’m going to become one of the best wedding photographers in California!” Quite ridiculous, huh? But I genuinely believed it with all my heart. Somewhere along the way, I...
Remona - Hi Junshien,
I met you at the end of August at Vivian Lei’s wedding (Bridesmaid #4). She just forwarded this link to me and I think you are one of the few guys with real, honest, and deep thoughts. I admire your ambition and desire to succeed in life.
Loved your final answer to the assignment :)
Good luck in your quest!
Ariane - Junshien, I don’t know how I came across this post especially since it was written over 5 months ago. I believe fate led me to read it. I was just laid off from my job in corporate america just a few days ago. So now my dreams of becoming a full time wedding photographer have been pushed to the forefront. Thank you a million times for this post. It has fueled me with inspiration more than you know…
tizzie teo - your wife WILL be the most beautiful woman in the world :)
Heather @ Pedersen Photography - I have to say this is one of the best posts I have read in a long, long time. Kudos to sharing with us, and challenging us to dream, cuz life is to short to be ordinary!!!
Carmen - This one beautiful entry that you’ve written. I was being nosy, I not only read what you posted, I also read all the comments. And by the time i finished reading them, my tears couldn’t help rushing down my face. Your words are very encouraging. You quitted your job and went to pursue for your “dream”… it came true! Isn’t it great to be able to do something you’re passionate about?! You made the right choice to “fried” your boss…hahah… so continue to “加油!” :) … and “My wife will be the most beautiful woman in the world” … just be patient, one day you will meet your beautiful bride at the right time and at the right place.
Arielle - The first thing that comes to mind is: “lucky women” !!!! The one you chose, the one that will be the perfect fit, will be a very lucky women indeed, not just bc you’re a great guy, but also bc you will be clearly committed to a wonderful relationship. And of course it’s totally possible, and within your reach.
Junshien - @Alvina: Naw, I mean to have a client book a $10k photography package with me. :)
Alvina - Did you mean book a $10k wedding when it’s your turn? If so, I’ve got tips!! ;]
It was a thoughtful post and I am currently still crafting a response :]
Rina - ohh whoops! Sorry.. I just thought that haha. Anyway, nice post and i love reading your websites.. have a pleasant day!
Junshien - @Andre: Thank you, my friend. Also, when are we hanging out??
@Elaine, Miyako, Raymond, Vivian: Thanks. :)
@Aisha: So very true. When it isn’t the right match, separation is better than staying together.
@Rina: Haha naw, not getting married anytime soon.
@Yuffie: Some restrictions and responsibilities can actually be life-affirming. Others, not so much. Which category do yours fall into? If the latter, what’s keeping you chained to them? ;)
As for what keeps me going when I’m overwhelmed, it’s simple: spend as much of your time doing the things you love and are passionate about. When your work feels like play, the exhilaration keeps you moving forward. I ended up quitting my job because I had no other choice. Odds were, I was going to fail in wedding photography. But the fire had been burning in my heart for the past five years, and I couldn’t ignore it any longer.
@Masood: You’re writing a book??
@Keni: Haha no, man. If you find yourself less and less content, you’re doing it wrong! Don’t chase impossible goals for the sake of achieving them. Chase them for the process, for the joy of the journey. Even if I don’t reach some of my dreams, the utter enjoyment I have from simply trying to get there wouldn’t leave me at much loss.
viv - Absolutely beautiful and touching.
Raymond Chou - love it
keni - we all have an aversion to the ordinary. ambitious men like you and i… where do i begin? we have a mountain of things that we wish for. we’ll get some of it, we’ll forget some of it. u can go on forever chasing your dreams until one day u realize that you’re further and further away from being truly content
p.s. my love and i have mindblowing sex, msg me for tips
Masood - Junshien!
Do I give you to edit my book?
Miyako - A beautifully written and honest post
Yuffie - Freedom. I want to be free from all the restrictions and responsibilities that’s keeping me from dreaming. For if one can’t dream, there is no purpose in life.
Tell me Junshien, how do you keep going on when you’re so overwhelmed with deadlines and exhaustion? How do you stay optimistic all the time? What gave you the courage to quit your job?
Rina - Ohh, you’re getting married soon. And this entry is actually beautiful post. You’re great man hehe.. :) Take Care there!
aisha - I admire your passion and the fact that you don’t settle for normal or easy. And I understand how you feel about relationships…and the despair someone feels when they see a couple that they really felt was perfect for each other separate. at one point i would have thought that separation was a horrible think, because it seems that we equate staying together to being the “real thing.”
but i no longer feel that because something ended that it was less beautiful. i think you can either be afraid of something–be afraid of hoping, be afraid of getting what you want and losing it–or you can acknowledge the fear but still take your risks.
i know that the ideal situation is to be with someone for the rest of your life. and you’re right those are a lucky few.
as for my quiet hope.
it’s actually a lot like yours. except you seem to be closer to letting someone in than me.
elaine b - you are so insightful, junshien :) great post
Andre Nguyen - This entry is beautifully real. And personally, I cannot agree with you more! =)
~ dre
Best of 2010: weddings, editorial shoots, and blog post recap » Junshien International Photographers | San Francisco Bay Area Wedding Photography - [...] “My wife will be the most beautiful woman in the world” One of my more vulnerable blog posts. On love, and dreams, and life. [...]
In which I rant about my future again because I’m 21 and out of school and out of work - [...] so caught up with the idea of becoming a product designer one day, I’d probably copy Junshien, Brian, and Frank–ex-finance/architecture/programming dudes who now shoot people for a [...]
Dear friends, I am writing this from somewhere above the Pacific Ocean, in a 747 hurling towards midnight on the other side of the world. In several hours, I will be landing in Singapore before catching the next flight out to Bangkok. After that begins a 16 hour journey deep into the heart of Laos,...
by Junshien
15 comments
NomadicNeil - Laos is one of my favourite countries!
Hava good time!
Corrie - What a terrific post! I love it! Thanks for sharing. I didn’t grow up Asian, but close enough, and I can deeply relate to your story. Just tonight I was asking my small group to pray, yet again, for opportunities in my field (I’m trying to make it in L.A. playing with a rock band–yes, seriously)! Sometimes it feels like it’s taking too long to get there, and then I am reminded of the little victories, like a job with Kanye West here or a trip to Nashville with my band there. There was a time when I told myself, “Play in a band?! Who does that?” And now I fully agree with you, “Of course! This is what I was made to do.”
Junshien - @Kate: Wow… big dreams, admirable dreams. You’re one of the few who have gone beyond dreaming and started doing. I’d tip my hat to you … if I had a hat. lol. We only have one life to live, so keep dreaming, keep pursuing your passions. All the best to you!
@Joanas: Thanks!
@Wing: You’re already walking down the path to achieving what you’ve set out to do. Keep it up!
Junshien - @Yuffie: Thanks so much for your comment. Glad that my story has been an encouragement to you. Whenever you’re feeling disheartened, remember that those who have made it doing what they love had to go through more failure and discouragement than the average person. But they persevered while others gave up, and soon found themselves living their dreams. So wherever your path takes you, keep pushing through, and I wish you all the best!
Yuffie - Your story has always inspired me when I was met with discouragement from others when it came to education. I have a Bachelor of Science degree but I have no interest in pursuing a career with anything science related. Recently, I think I found my dream, actually no, somewhere deep inside I had always thought about it but it wasn’t until recently that it became real to me. It’s something very similar to what you do but not quite; my dream is to be a wedding planner – to help couples plan the most perfect, most memorable, most beautiful and happiest day of their lives. I hope one day I will be successful in my career as you are in yours. I know for sure I’d recommend you to be anyone’s wedding photographer, including mine!
Kate - Hi Jun, I came to your blog by a circuitous route (as one always does), through a heap of links to photography blogs. I found it an interesting coincidence that you were writing about inspiration, fighting and sacrificing for one’s dreams, etc, as I’ve been reading a lot on this topic lately and thinking about my own dreams and goals I’d like to accomplish.
I am just finishing up one goal that started as a bit of a pipe dream, which is volunteering in a women’s government ministry overeas. I’m Australian and I’ve been doing just this for the past year in East Timor. Now I’m considering my goals and dreams again… Millionaire, making an effort to fight climate change and maybe some goals closer to home look like they are going to top the list for now! :)
I really admire that you made such a change in what you spend your time doing every day. Hope this trip is fabulous, I’ll be keeping up!
Joanas - Very inspiring. Thank you for that, I really appreciated it.
Ted Nghiem - Man, I love your entries!!
I’ll cut and paste from my blog response:
My deepest dreams? A good question. I have and had many dream careers, dream plans and goals, and real plans and goals. When I was younger, I mean high school, I loved history so much that I just wanted to do anything in history. I guess that would have “set” me up to be a lawyer, which I enjoyed. Then I dreamt of being a video game programmer. Then it moved to be a Psychology Professor which I tried extensively for (and if you have followed me since Xanga, you could read my trials and stuff). Though I put that dream career on hold, I am now pursuing photography (wedding and travel!) So that is my new dream goal that I am actively pursuing. Though I will probably reapply for graduate school in psychology. How hot would it be to be a wedding/travel photographer with a Ph.D? :D
As for non – career dreams, I am pretty sure most know that I am an avid traveler. So while I have gone traveling internationally they have been 2 week journeys. And, hopefully, my next one will be a big one month back packing journey back into Ireland. But I would love to backpack for some time through Europe. The thought of traveling keeps me perked and giddy for a while and actually traveling keeps happy and in bliss for a very long time!
And what I am doing to make it a reality …
I believe that my choice to pursue graduate school for two to three years was a real sacrifice, though I believe was worth it, where I gave up “life” to try to get accepted into the programs. But, here I am pursuing photography now, with the goal of graduate school on hiatus. Now that I am not all about being accepted into graduate school, the other “realities” are so tangible I can smell them- bills, economy, global perils… I have happily invested a lot of time and money into photography, purchasing gear, portfolio building, running here and there to get my name out there, that while, in the short term is costing me, but I see the pluses in the long term for a recoup in investment, positive impact in my career, and passion.
My biggest obstacles are all in the short term. While I am investing time and money into the photography business, I am also saving up for my future travels.
Wing Wong - Thank you Junshien for all the inspiration! You’re a hero to many of us =)
My deepest deepest DEEPEST dream is…
doing what I love most: photography, and have a good buisiness on that, and start a family with my current girlfriend =)
and I’m willing to do anything to achieve my dream!!!!! Need to keep fighting!!!
Dream chasing, brick laying, and the rock-star lifestyle » Junshien International Photographers | San Francisco Bay Area Wedding Photography - [...] To those unsure if they should pursue their dream: Realize that your passion is going to extract from you a price far heavier than what you are expecting. It’s going to require all of you, and will push you to your limits — and even beyond. Through this fire, you will see what you are made of. This is not for everybody, but if you’re able to persevere through, if you’re able to break through to the other side … you will find that the whole world has opened up for you. [...]
A birthday wish » San Francisco Bay Area Wedding Photographer - [...] warned me against. That leap of faith into the unknown has since turned my life into this crazy adventure that has me scrambling to keep up. Who could have guessed that one day, clients would be flying me [...]
Stories from Laos: part 1 » San Francisco Bay Area Wedding Photographer - [...] year, I was sponsored by a clean water company to fly to Laos for a documentary project. For ten days, I journeyed up and down this country of dirt roads and [...]
Stories from Laos: a teaser » San Francisco Bay Area Wedding Photographer - [...] year, I was sponsored by a clean water company to fly to Laos for a documentary project. For ten days, I journeyed up and down this country of dirt roads and [...]
My wife will be the most beautiful woman in the world. » San Francisco Bay Area Wedding Photographer - [...] the last several years, as I’ve started to see my dreams become reality, I’ve become more bold, and my dreams became bigger. Yet when it comes to relationships, a [...]
FAQ: What should I do to become a full-time photographer? (or, “10 reasons NOT to become a professional photographer”) » Junshien Weddings & Portraits - [...] nowadays, my responses are not quite as enthusiastic. On one hand, I still want to say, You HAVE to pursue your dreams! On the other hand, I also want to say [...]
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by Junshien
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